FAQs

The aim of teaching and learning at the Unit is to identify the needs of students to succeed in their education and help students develop skills in these areas. The Unit also supports students to reintegrate into mainstream schooling.

Yes, students must be enrolled in a government secondary school to apply for a place at the HTU. Referrals must be made by a student’s enrolled school. 

Placements are one term however some students may benefit from and be offered a second term

We have a maximum number of eight students. We have a staff to student ratio of 1:2. 

The Unit is staffed by a team of dedicated teachers committed to inclusive education. While at the Unit, students are paired with mentor teachers who are responsible for communication with schools and families. Our small size means that students are provided with close support. 

The Unit is located on the grounds of Reservoir High School. We have our own building and entrance. 

The 86 tram stops out the front of HTU/Reservoir High School. The stop number is 57/Reservoir High School. There are also several buses that operate in the area.

For more information on how to get there, please see our Contact page.

For the first four weeks of a placement, students attend the Unit full time. In week four, students attend a review meeting at the Unit with their families, Unit staff and a teacher from their school. In week five, students return to school for one day a week. A mentor teacher from the Unit will visit the student on their reintegration day. Most students continue with one reintegration day each week with some students increasing their days. This is a decision made with students, HTU staff and school staff.

For more information on how to get there, please see our Contact page.

‘A FLO is an educational setting that supports students at risk or already disengaged from education. Students at risk of disengagement should be attending FLOs only in instances where their needs are not able to be met in mainstream school and should only be used as a short-term option.’ 

Department of Education Victoria

Schools will record that students are spending time in a FLO. While students are at the Unit, they will engage with our curriculum and will not be penalised for not completing their mainstream schoolwork. Families and schools will receive detailed weekly reports about their progress at the HTU. Often, students that are referred to the HTU are not successfully engaging with the work set in their classes anyway and the Unit is a place where students can be supported to reengage with education.

Students are not forced to stay at the Unit. Coming to the Unit is not a punishment, it is an opportunity to help students have more success at school. During review meetings in Week 4, students will have an opportunity to let their schools know how they are feeling about their placement at the Unit. 

The Unit runs a typical school timetable. We teach English, Maths, Science, Humanities, Literacy, Health and Art. We have a weekly Foods session, where students learn to cook a variety of meals. We also organise weekly excursions. Our Health teacher organises bike rides, rock climbing, bowling, mini golf, gym sessions and hikes. As well as active sessions, we also take student to restaurants, on trips to the city and to the library. 

See more about our Program here

The HTU has been in operation for over forty years.  It began its journey as a “truancy bus” on which teachers performed outreach services to students who were experiencing difficulty attending their mainstream schools.  Over time, the Unit was housed at various locations, finally becoming a campus of Reservoir High School.  The program has continued to be dynamic and flexible, reflecting the changes in the needs of individual cohorts.  Currently, the Unit operates under trauma informed educational practices, with a focus on student wellbeing and wrap around supports.

As well as learning traditional subjects, students engage in a Human Relations component while at the Unit. This component encourages students to reflect on their past and current behaviour with the aim of motivating behavioural change.

More information on this can be found here.

Our formal day starts at 9am. Students can arrive anytime from 8:30. Students are welcome to have breakfast at the Unit. We always start our day with a Morning Circle, where we follow a format that helps students settle in for the day. Each day, we aim for one active or hands on subject, otherwise our classes are similar to classes in a larger high school. Because we teach students from different schools and from different year levels, each term looks different and we are flexible in our approaches. At the end of each day, we run a Goals Session, where students are guided by teachers to reflect on their day.